A domestic violence call turned deadly in a Tacoma police shooting recently. Responding officers quickly found themselves in a full gun battle with a lone gunman in Washington. The suspect fired multiple rounds at officers before a single officer finally ended the shootout, sending one round downrange from his duty AR-15, ending the fight.
Tacoma Police Shooting
The fatal incident began when officers responded to a domestic violence call on August 28. A 911 call claimed a relative assaulted the caller, claiming the suspect possessed several firearms and may attempt to shoot police. Officer body camera footage shows the wild ensuing shootout once officers arrived. The suspect, identified as Peter Collins, allegedly possessed two semi-automatic rifles, two handguns and a large amount of ammo, according to king5.com.
Footage shows the gun battle, as Collins opened up on officers. A mad chase ensues, before a lone officer finally disembarks his patrol vehicle, grabs a rifle, then calmly fires one well-aimed shot, dropping the suspect.
“You’re walking into a space where you’ve never been, but they have an advantage over you,” said Pierce County Sheriff’s Department Sgt. Darren Moss, reported king5.com. “So if they have a hiding spot or a place they can get to, before you can find them, those are one of the things we have to think about, but with domestic violence being the most common calls for police officers to deal with, it can be the most volatile as well.”
Investigators said Collins ultimately sustained two gunshot wounds, reported king5.com. The first proved consistent with the officer-fired rifle shot. A second wound appeared to come from a self-inflicted gunshot.
Editor’s Note
First, this video shows, once again, just how violent and dangerous the job of law enforcement continues to be. A call turned deadly, with a seemingly deranged suspect equipped and ready to fight to the death. Moreover, the video proves just how valuable well-trained officers prove to be. While we know little about the lone officer taking the pivotal rifle shot, we can surmise that’s a well-trained officer. He remained calm, he remained steady, and he fired a shot necessary to stop the threat.